


The One Where Johnny Takes Her Chair

by mangafoxy



Category: Fantastic Four (Comicverse), Fantastic Four (Movies 2005-2007), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: F/M, central perk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-21
Updated: 2015-12-21
Packaged: 2018-05-08 03:34:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5481905
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mangafoxy/pseuds/mangafoxy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>All Darcy wanted was to drink her morning coffee in the chair she's mentally claimed as hers. So why is this asshole sitting in it?</p>
            </blockquote>





	The One Where Johnny Takes Her Chair

**Author's Note:**

> I'm really shit at summaries but it is what it is. This is unbeta'd so I'm sure there are mistakes. I will correct things as I find them or when they are pointed out. Thanks for reading and as always critiques are appreciated.

That Bastard wasn’t going to beat her today. She’d purposely left her apartment a full 20 minutes earlier just to get there first.

She would not fail… not now.

As she approached the coffee shop she could tell that something was off and sure enough once she made it inside she knew why. Not even a foot through the door and she could already see a fat head over the back of _her_ chair.

She ordered her usual and proceeded to the second best chair in the place when she noticed that her chair was in fact not occupied at all. The fucker just moved it to the other side of the table.

“That was so low,” Darcy said dropping herself into the seat across from him.

“Now where’s the satisfaction in just letting you have it?” asked the bane of her caffeinated existence.

“For me? Loads,” she said taking her tablet from her purse.

“How do you even know that’s _the_ _chair_?” he asked raising an eyebrow mockingly might she add.

“Do you really want to know?” she asked with a small smile.

“Hell yeah I do. I am truly curious as to how you know that is the same seat you’ve been glaring at me over for the last few weeks,” he said leaning back, his expression set in that of a challenge.

“Alright, here we go. You see this stain right here?” she asked pointing toward the arm of the chair. He nodded in confirmation. “Yeah, that’s from when I spat out my coffee after a friend relayed to me in detail just how great her boyfriend was at eating ass.”

“Ok, I can see-”

“And this one was when I knocked my cup over when my sister told me she was marrying my high school sweetheart,” she said gesturing toward as stain that cascaded down the inside of the left of the chair and onto the cushion beneath her.

“So you’ve got history, I get it, but both of those examples seem pretty traumatic. So why do you keep coming back?” he asked reaching for his cup.

“It’s the most comfy chair in this piece and I’ve finally got it perfectly molded to my ass,” she said with a shrug.

Johnny looked at the brunette sitting across from him and tried to decide if the last few weeks of seat tag were worth it. The first time was genuinely an accident but after catching her surprisingly menacing glare he just had to do it again.

“See, now you don’t have to compromise. You get your chair _and_ stimulating conversation.”

“Really?” she asked with a frown. “I don’t feel very stimulated,” she said shaking her head.

His eyebrow raised at her wording and a slow smile spread across his face. So she wanted to play maybe tag had more merit than he realized.

“Oh but believe me you will,” he said suddenly standing up and gathering his things. “Turn to channel 7 at 9 o’clock.”

“Wait that’s like 4 four hours from now,” she called out but by then he was already out the door.

Hold on she could see him doubling back. Tracking his progress through the window she leaned back getting comfortable for whatever the hell else he had up his sleeve.

“What’s your name, gorgeous?” he asked his head barely clearing the metal edge of the door.

“It’s Darcy, you ass cannibal. Who’s asking?” she called back but once again he was already on his way out the door.

Well, my coffee break is officially ruined she thought to herself as she packed her things. She could literally feel people’s eyes on her and she got the feeling they weren’t admiring her bomb ass outfit (these jeans made her ass look ah-may-zing).

As she walked out the café she made it a point to keep her head up and her shoulders back. She’d be damned if she let some hyper active chair thief embarrass her without her consent. That was more than enough contact with the unwashed masses she was more than ready for her unwashed scientists back please.

___

She wasn’t even settled in her ergonomic chair before she heard, “So, was he there?”

“Yep he was and he was ever the drama queen,” Darcy replied with a sigh as she started to spin around in her chair.

“Let me get this straight. You and the guy you’ve been ranting about for weeks, the man who stole your oh so precious chair, are finally on speaking terms and you’re freezing up on me,” Jane replied getting up and stopping her mid-spin. “Hell no. Spill.”

What resulted was a battle of will Darcy was determined not to lose. The one time she wanted to not talk about something was when Jane turned into an attack dog. She didn’t even realize she even listened to her rants.

“Don’t make me recite constellations again. You know I’ll do it,” she warned as her face loomed over her.

Yeah she definitely didn’t want to be bored to death and her options were looking pretty bleak.

“Fine,” she erupted. “He apologized for being a dicksicle, told me to watch the nine o’clock news, and then ran off.”

“The news? Why?”

“Hell if I know but I won’t be watching,” she pouted.

“The hell you aren’t,” Jane snorted. “Jarvis, can you remind us to watch the news just before nine, please?”

“Yes, of course Dr. Foster,” the AI replied smoothly. The traitor.

With that done Jane straightened and went back to work like she hadn’t just accosted her. Darcy couldn’t even fathom what coffee guy could want to say to her and on television no less. However if Jane was so set on tuning in it didn’t seem like she had much of a choice in the matter. She could be a real pain in the ass when she put her mind to it, so it was either give in or suffer the consequences.

___

Ten minutes till nine Jane dragged her to the lounge, which unfortunately was occupied by, well everyone. Oh joy.

“Turn to channel seven, Darcy’s boyfriend is gonna be on,” Jane announced. All at once the channel was changed and a flurry of questions assaulted her.

“Since when are you dating?”

“You banging someone famous Lewis?” This of course came from Tony.

Just when she thought she couldn’t take it anymore she heard her name coming from Stark’s ridiculously large television set.

“- her name is Darcy,” the voice said.

Him. It was coffee guy. On TV talking about her.

“So are you two serious?” the reporter asked giving a fake pout.

“Not yet, but I have high hopes for our future,” he replied with a smile that made her want to punch him when she saw him in person, but was oddly charming when coming from a screen.

“What is it you wanted to say to her today, Johnny?”

He turned to fully face the camera, charming smile still firmly in place and said, “Next time coffee’s on me Darce.”

With that he gave a stupid ass cheery wink yelled flame on and took to the sky like an overgrown birthday candle.

“Well, there you have it Darcy’s next coffee is _on_ him. I’m Katherine Okamoto with KZT News.”

Silence fell over the room as someone muted the TV and all she could hear was the blood rushing to her head. Johnny Storm, the Human _FREAKIN_ Torch, was her coffee guy. How was that even possible?

“Have you been holding out on us Lewis?” Tony cajoled from his perch on a kitchen stool.

“Of course not! I had no idea that my chair thief was part of the Fantastic Four. It’s not like he just lit up during one of our interactions, ya know?” Darcy replied with helpless shrug.

“How can you not know what Johnny Storm looks like though? His face was literal plastered everywhere when their incident happened,” Clint said from his position on the couch. His eyebrows raised in disbelief.

“Not to mention he’s often seen flying through the sky. On fire, trailing smoke, and using it to skywrite profanity,” added Natasha.

“Of course I know _of_ him but it’s kinda hard to tell what someone looks like when they’re on fire,” Darcy retorted

“What about the other half of the time when he’s chasing tail around the city? He isn’t on fire then,” Jane chimed in with a smug smile. One that quite frankly made Darcy want to hit her but it wasn’t worth the thunderbolt it would most definitely earn her.

“My media is restricted to television shows, current events, movie franchises, and Netflix,” Darcy erupted. Jumping up to make herself a much needed drink. “I’m making white russians anyone want one? No? Ok good.”

___

She really didn’t know if she could handle going back to that coffee shop. It had been a week since Johnny’s news stunt and she just couldn’t make herself go back inside. So here she was on a busy New York street just out of the line of sight of the large windows that covered the front of the café. Hell for all she knew the jerkface might not even be inside and she was depriving herself of life sustaining java for no good reason.

“Are you going in or are we just going to stand here till a crisis arises and I have to go save the city?” asked a very deliciously male voice close to her ear.

With his breath still tickling the side of her neck she spun around and was confronted with no other than Johnny Storm. Or course had it been anybody else they would have been tazed  in the balls already.

“In this city that could be any moment now,” Darcy replied trying to suppress a smile.

“Exactly. That’s why I’d much rather be inside enjoying decent coffee and stimulating conversation. Rather than take up precious space on a busy Manhattan street,” he said leaning towards her slightly.

Taking a deep breath Darcy tried to prepare herself for conversation that she had no doubt would be both stimulating and infuriating. “Alright hotshot, you’re buying,” she said as she turned away and headed toward the door the café.

___

“Nope. No way am I watching Terminator again,” Darcy said shifting so that she could look at her human body pillow.

“But it’s Arnold at his cinematic prime here it’s only topped by T2. Plus, Sarah Connor is smoking hot so everyone wins,” Johnny replied looking down at her.

“No this movie is ridiculous and so are you,” she replied shifting so that she was comfortably the little spoon again. “And for the record she’s 80s hot, which counts for almost nothing today.”

Johnny only scoffed in reply as his hand slid from its resting place at her hip up toward…

“You Bastard,” she yelled as he yanked the remote from her hands.

“All’s fair,” he replied as he started to flick through channels.

“This isn’t war motherfucker it’s my television,” Darcy said heatedly as she wriggled in protest.

“Yeah I know,” replied his expression unexpectedly serious.

Neither of them spoke for a while after that and that might have been for the best because she was having a hell of a time catching her breath. Sure after the coffee date they’d been seeing each other regularly and he had introduced her to his sister as his girlfriend. So that made them ‘official’ she supposed but what did that even mean. It’s not like guys just gave out pins or lettermens like they did in the movies. Not that she was into displays of possession but they did seem like a decent way to communicate the status of a relationship. Honestly she wasn’t even sure if they were exclusive.

“What are we doing, Storm?” Darcy asked moving so that she could look him directly in the eye.

“I thought we were watching TV,” he replied innocently, raising his eyebrows.

“You know exactly what I mean,” she said evenly.

Johnny closed his eyes with a sigh. “Darce where are we?” he asked pinching the bridge of his nose.

“In my apartment, vegging out on my couch,” she replied slowly, she had absolutely no idea where he was going with this.

“Yeah and how often do we do this?”

 “Two or three times a week provided you’re not off saving the world.”

He looked like he was reluctant to say whatever he was planning to say next, which made her want to hear whatever it was even more.

“Have we had sex yet?” he finally asked.

“Well not in the technical sense. No,” she answered rolling her eyes.

“Look Darcy I don’t just do this with anyone,” he said putting his hand back on her hip and giving it a light squeeze.

“Don’t you though?” she teased, a smile breaking through despite her best efforts to contain it.

Johnny didn’t take the bait though. “I can honestly say that I’ve never been this domestic with someone that wasn’t family or at least slept with.”

“So that makes me special then?” Darcy asked halfheartedly attempting to tease him still.

“For me it does yeah,” he replied, playing with a lock of her hair that fell out of her messy bun.

“Good,” Darcy said with a small smile as she leaned in to kiss him.

Their lips barely touched before he pulled away. “What? You’re not gonna share with the class too?”

Darcy couldn’t help but laugh at his indignation. Only stopping when he threatened to push her off the couch.

“Fine,” she said still laughing chuckling. “This is pretty domestic for me too. We definitely wouldn’t be hanging out in my apartment if I weren’t serious. Hell I doubt you’d be allowed into the building.”

“Good,” he replied smirking.

“You’re a jackass. You know that, right?”

“Yeah. I know. You have shit taste in guys,” he said shaking his head.

“You should have seen my last boyfriend. Ick,” Darcy said her face twisted in mock disgust.

___

“Are you at your apartment?” asked a voice she was quickly growing to despise.

“Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be it’s three in the goddamn morning,” Darcy said still unable and unwilling to pry her eyes open.

“Good come out to the balcony… and put on a jacket. A light one though.”

With that he ended the call, at least she’s pretty sure he did- she was still mostly asleep after all. She’d get up and see what he wanted in a minute…

It was the intense glow coming from her window that actually woke her up. What got her out of bed though was the voice calling her name from the other side of it.

“Darce if you could get up that’d be really great,” called the voice. “I’m too hot and too close. I can already see the metal heating up, so if you get up now JARVIS might not notice and I won’t have to hear Tony’s mouth.”

He wouldn’t dare… would he?

Rolling out of bed and nearly breaking her neck on an ill-placed power cord Darcy rushed to the window. She was greeted with exactly the thing she’d been dreading.

“Why in God’s sweet asshole are you hovering outside my window Johnny?” Darcy yelled through the glass. She could literally feel the heat radiating from the glass and no way was she touching it to confirm what she already knew- that this dumbass was melting her bedroom window.

“Well I was on your balcony for twenty minutes and after you didn’t answer your phone the first 10 times I called. It was either this or break in and I really don’t want to face whatever Stark prototypes you have on you,” he called back.

Yeeeaaah that was probably smart of him considering her new toy from R & D is supposed to induce fainting.

“Balcony. Now,” she bit out as she pulled the cord to let down the blinds.

The bright spot gliding away in the general direction of her little terrace.

He was lounging on her patio furniture when she got out there, looking as though he thought he lived there.

“It’s damn near four in the morning Johnny why are you here?” she whined pulling her jacket tighter around her.

“In my defense I tried to get you out here earlier,” he replied with a smile that was far too wide for it being so early in the morning.

“That’s it I’m getting the fire extinguisher,” Darcy growled stomping back toward the door.

“Ok ok, wait,” Johnny said catching her arm and gently turning her back around. “I just wanted to surprise you with a night ride, of sorts.”

“Like on your bike?” she asked shaking her head in exasperation.

“Nah I was thinking of something a bit more…aerial,” he replied hesitantly, looking anywhere but her.

Darcy looked at him for a few more seconds before it dawned on her. “Holy shit you want to take me flying,” she said, her eyes wide in disbelief. “Can you even do that without turning me into a potato chip?”

“As a matter of fact I can,” he said grinning. “I’ve just recently learned how to fly with only part of me on fire, arguably the most important part but is still makes for a good time.”

“I can only imagine that line actually working. How’s your success rate with that one?” Darcy asked laughing.

“Well you’re the only one I’ve asked, so not well I guess,” he replied sheepishly, his hand running over his short hair.

She desperately wanted to call bullshit but something wasn’t quite right. His smile was too tight and his eyes were more hangdog than arrogant bastard.

“Batman’s balls you’re telling the truth. I really am the first… wow ok,” she said nervously tucking her hair behind her ears.

“So you’ll just come and stop handing me my ass?” he asked his hopeful expression only belied by the sardonic twist of his mouth.

“Yeah,” Darcy said with a small smile. “I’ll keep your ass, for now. All right let me go get a hat.”

As she started to turn away Johnny caught her hand and swung her up into his arms.

“I can say with absolute certainty that you won’t be cold.”

With that shot up into the air on what felt like a gust of hot wind. The ride up as fine and while her view from the tower was to die for it had nothing on what she was seeing now. City lights stretching out as far as she could see and with a birds eye view that was really saying something. 

Problems however were encountered when Johnny tried to fly horizontally while still trying to hold her.

While he didn’t drop her (she’ll give him that) she definitely felt his grip slipping (even if he claims that he could have ‘made it’).

She made him stop on a nearby helipad so they could get their shit together because she was not trying to die in the name of adventure. What they settled of was her clinging to his back like a baby monkey. Piggy back ride when vertical and magic carpet ride when horizontal, truly the best of both worlds.

“I can show you the world… finish it hotshot,” Darcy called out tapping on Johnny’s shoulder.

 “You know this isn’t what I had in mind when I envisioned you riding me,” he called back.

“Finish it, you pyro perv”

“Shining shimmering splendid,” he intoned.

“Yes! I knew you had it in you,” Darcy squealed wiggling slightly on his back.

“Hey watch it! This isn’t exactly the steadiest way to fly. Break my concentration and we’ll be free falling and if I remember correctly only one of us wouldn’t go splat,” he called out.

“Fine but maybe you shouldn’t be so easily distracted,” she said running he fingers down his spine. Which probably wasn’t the brightest idea but the shiver it earned her made it worth the risk.

Johnny stayed quiet after that his body rigid with tension until he broke with a, “Oh thank god we’re almost there.”

“I thought this was just a night ride. Where exactly are you taking me Storm?” Darcy asked suspiciously, tightening her thighs around him to drive home her question.

“When I need some downtime away from the others there is a place that I go. I wanted to share it with you.”

“It’s not your sex dungeon, is it?” she teased.

“No.”

“Ok good,” she said with a semi-relived sigh. The last thing she wanted right now was to see if all the rumors about his appetites were true. She signed up for a night ride not a booty call, but at this point she didn’t think he would try something like that, probably.

“Alright we’re here hang on,” Johnny called after a while. As he descended she went from street rat to kindergartener faster than she could say Agrabah.

As soon as they hit the roof Darcy hopped off to survey the area. The view felt strangely familiar but for the life of her she just couldn’t place it. Which is exactly when she happened to glance up and saw the giant glowing ‘A’ shining in the sky like a beacon.

Everything clicked when she saw a gargoyle they were on the freaking Chrysler Building, which was a literal five minute walk from the tower.

“Considering I can see this place from my apartment you would have thought that I’d have seen a fiery streak frequenting the area,” Darcy said dryly.

 “With all the weird shit that surrounds you I doubt you’d notice,” Johnny replied as he perched on the safety railing.

The view was wonderful but Darcy couldn’t help but wonder what prompted this surprise trip in the middle of the night.

“Not that I’m opposed to being spirited off into the night but what is going on here Johnny?” she asked moving to stand in front of him. Her hands on his jaw guiding his dace up, so that she could look him in the eye.

“Nothing,” he replied. “I just wanted to share this with you."

"So that's why it took us fifteen minutes to get to a building that's five minutes away?"

"It's also it’s kind of the anniversary of my dad’s death,” he mumbled after a minute.

Oh…well shit. Out of all the things she might’ve expected to come out of his mouth that honestly didn’t even make the list.

“Did you want to talk about him?” she asked pulling his head into her chest, her fingers curling into the short hair on his nape.

“Not really,” he said bringing his arms up to wrap around her waist. “Honestly we weren’t super close, he didn’t agree with the majority of my life choices, but he was always there… until he wasn’t.”

Other than listening and attempting to be a comforting presence she honestly didn’t know what else to do. The few months they’ve been together have been pretty great, she enjoyed his company immensely, but their encounters could firmly labeled under light and fun.  Emotional territory however was completely uncharted, and while unexpected she wasn’t unwilling to take this step with him.  

“Have you talked to Sue about this?” she asked lightly.

“A little. The first few years we’d end up finding each other and just reminisce,” he said lightly trailing his fingers along the seams of her jacket. “Now, for the most part she relies on Reed, who is surprisingly attentive when it comes to the subject. I’ve never had anyone to depend on like that though. Not until now.”

Darcy stilled at that last part. They were so softly spoken and she could tell that he was truly being genuine. He actually thought of her that way and she didn’t even try and stop her heart from melting at that.

“So I’m your Reed?” she asked giving him an extra squeeze.

“Oh hell no. You are so much hotter than him,” he teased giving her a squeeze back.

“You in the habit of checking out your sister’s husband?” she asked leaning back a bit.

“Nope, but that doesn’t mean I’m blind. I just don’t have a daddy kink,” with that he stood up, which in turn forced Darcy back a step. “Think you’re ready for some trick flying? Y’know considering how you’ve already broken me in.”

The shift from vulnerable to cocky would have caught her off guard if it weren’t so quintessentially Johnny.

Which was just fine with her getting too deep too quick was never a good relationship move anyway. Slowly was good. Slowly would last and for the first time in a long time she kind of wanted it to.

“You know if I die Thor will be on your ass so fast,” she warned.

“Yeah and there wouldn’t even be a place for me to hide since he can fly too,” he said turning around so she could get on.

“Yep, now flame on,” she yelled as she jumped on his back.


End file.
